The Secret to Winning at Life: The Bible

I’m all about being honest on this blog so I will say firstly that there are a lot of people more qualified than me, to talk about this topic. I was raised in a Christian home and I have been a Christian for many years, but I am not as disciplined as I should be with my Bible reading. And while I’ve been embarrassed about this in the past, I can admit that I’m like any other person. I am someone who has a hard time keeping my priorities straight. But as I’ve said in my blog post, ‘why having a faith in God is crucial’, my flaws and weaknesses are just more opportunities for God to work in my life and are additions to my testimony. Because of this, I can confidently say that knowing what is written in the Bible is the secret to winning at life.

So where am I currently standing?

There have been many times throughout my life that I have managed to establish a strong Bible reading routine. Now keeping a routine is a whole other thing, am I right ladies? But when I look back to those times in my life where I was able to maintain a Bible reading routine, I realise how much God taught me through His Word. When I center myself in His presence and open up His Word, things begin to line up in a way that I could never have put together on my own! There is no such thing as a coincidence when God is involved, because “all things work together for good for those that love Him” (Romans 8:28 NLT).

So, why is reading and studying the Bible so important? Well, when we look at the Bible, we find the answer.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT.

Essentially, if we want to live a full wholesome life, living according to the Word of God is the way to do it. This really is the secret to winning at life! In the Bible, we find a solution to every problem we could ever encounter. We also meet an abundance of broken people throughout history who overcame obstacles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Read about countless miracles that took place and learn that if we work in the Holy Spirit, we too can be used in performing and receiving miracles. We learn who God is, why we were created, why bad things happen, and where we will go when our time on earth is done.

Every big question you have is answered in this book.

Studying the Bible is just like any other educational discipline; and this is something we can all relate to. Think back to your time in school; were you an A+ student or a barely-scraping-by student? I myself was a, what I call, passing student. Which means I didn’t excel, but also I didn’t fail. By the Grace of God, I made it through my studies. Studying hard always sounded like a good idea, and I could have studied harder, but I let a lot of distractions come between me and my studies. 

Let me tell you, allowing distractions in your life is not the secret to winning at life.

Distraction is a big tactic used by the enemy that keeps us from studying God’s Word faithfully. I have fallen into the trap of distraction many times, but this is what makes God so incredible! He knows us and He knows our downfalls. Yet, He doesn’t condemn us because of it. Instead, He continues to remind us that we are loved. If we fall, He will help us get back up to try again. There are countless second chances with God, which means we must be gentle with ourselves when we mess up or when things aren’t going right. It’s important to acknowledge the mistake. To get back up and ask for God’s help instead of sitting in guilt and shame or throwing a hissy fit. 

Let me share with you a time where I was spending quality time with God.

It changed my life!

It’s so encouraging looking back on a time when I really got into God’s Word and I studied it everyday. This particular time, it was during the first full Covid lockdown New Zealand experienced in March 2020. It’s a funny story to think about now. Basically, I was living in a house with six other people. The week before the country went into lockdown, we were already self-isolating as we thought one of our flatmates had been infected. So we all had to hunker down and wait for the results of his test to come back. Praise the Lord, his test came back negative! We celebrated by going out to the movies, which was just a couple of days before New Zealand went into lockdown for 4 weeks. 

The movie we saw was ‘I Still Believe’.

And, oh my goodness, this movie changed my life! I’m going to share certain plot points so *spoiler alert*, you have been warned. If you haven’t seen it, I encourage you to do so before you read any further. ‘I Still Believe’ is a true story of the Christian singer songwriter, Jeremy Camp. Here’s a brief summary of the story just so you know where I’m heading here.

Jeremy had met his first wife, Melissa, in college and they fell in love quickly. But quite early on in their relationship, Melissa was diagnosed with cancer and sadly it was in a late stage. The movie takes us from the time they met, to Jeremy promising that he would take care of her through all the treatments she would need. What happened next was a miracle from God! He healed her from all the cancer in her body, so she was well enough for them to get married. Unfortunately, the cancer came back harsher than before and she passed away only four months into their marriage. Yes, this is a tragic yet true story but I’m here to encourage you all!

So what did I learn?

'I Still Believe' (2020)

The main thing that was highlighted to me throughout this movie was Melissa’s faith, well really both Jeremy and Melissa’s faith, but specifically Melissa’s. The strength that she carried with her throughout her whole journey was from an unshakable faith that God had a plan for her. It’s such a testimony that through the testing, the pain, and the hardships she endured, she continued to praise and thank Jesus for what He was doing, even though she didn’t understand it. This is the kind of woman she was. She had such a strong faith in God, that she could confidently say ‘if just one person’s life is changed from what I go through, it will all be worth it’. Though her time was short, Melissa showed us that God’s Word is truly the secret to winning at life!

This movie made a huge impact on me (again, please watch it if you haven’t already!). The following week, I was doing a Bible study with my flatmates. We were studying Romans 1, and when I got to the second part of verse 17, God spoke so clearly!

“As the scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” - Romans 1:17b NLT

This instantly made me think of Melissa and the reality of her living on faith. It was crystal clear to see through her whole story, how much faith she had, that even through death, she brought life! She left a legacy that is still touching and inspiring people today, and this is a testament to Jeremy as well, who continues to tell Melissa’s story 20 years later! Now so many others are living free and have access to eternal life through Jesus because of hearing Melissa’s story. 

This is just one of the countless stories of how the Bible has impacted my life.

It has helped me make sense of hard to understand situations. This is why, though I’m not perfect myself, I believe that the Bible is the secret to winning at life. I want to encourage you to not just read but also study the Bible. I’m also going to continue working on establishing the habit myself, you are not alone in this! Remember, strive for excellence, but don’t get discouraged if you’re not on a perfect study schedule. If your heart is in the right place, God will see and acknowledge this, and as you continue to ask for help, He will show you the way.